endorsees and the troll post

The thread last week was locked…someone had an axe to grind…no pun intended.

I’ll try to explain….

Endorsees are critical to a company from an exposure standpoint, marketing and sometimes research and development. One of the things that happens is that sometimes artists and the public think that our guitar and bass division is bigger than it truly is. We make a fraction of what Fender and Gibson make….we make less than PRS. WE have to pick our spots….in each genre there is pretty much one guy…country it’s Albert….etc

Artists leave for really just a few reasons….they are unhappy that we can’t or don’t allocate enough time and attention to them, or they are recruited by other usually smaller companies. Sometimes they are finding what they prefer elsewhere. I’m always sorry when someone leaves us because our inability to make them the priority they believe they deserve. If the artist leaves because the lack of attention that is always tough….obviously we have to pick who we think will help us the most and where we think we can help the artist equally. Some of the artists come to namm and do signings and demos and dont draw anyone but the pillars like Morse, Petrucci, Luke, Lee, Levin pack the booth and have a huge line for autographs. Somehow they expect the same relationship…their ego was not objective.

On the poaching..it’s really pretty sleazy. EBMM never poaches artists and I mean never. The companies that poach make great promises and rarely do they pan out but the artist is tied to another company. If our product no longer gives them what they need that happens and I’m all about choices….that’s why we dont have written contracts with any artist. We will not engage in a bidding war.

The troll poster named some players that never had a deal with us like the talented Andy James. I’m sorry we disappointed Dean Wells…I know he still looks here and I think he is a great guy and a very talented guitarist/artist. Vinny was wonderful and a really nice guy and really fun to be around along with being a great player…he still is a part of the family as he uses our strings.

Every company has transition in the people that represent them. I tend to look at who stayed and for how long.